Apparatus for operating on container



TQIHIH July 24, 1956 J. G. O'NEIL 2,755,712

APPARATUS FOR OPERATING 0N CONTAINER Filed Nov. 30, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet1 IN VEN TOR.

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APPARATUS FDR OPERATING 0N CONTAINER Filed Nov. 30, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet2 FIE- III

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APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON CONTAINER Filed Nov. 30, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet3 FIG 5 3/ FIE JD IN V EN TOR.

JOHN G 0M5.

United States Patent APPARATUS FOR OPERATING ON CONTAINER John G. ONeil,Minneapolis, Minn., assignor to Weinon Corporation, St. Paul, Minn, acorporation of Minnesota Application November 30, 1951, Serial No.259,184

2 Claims. (Cl. 93--39.2)

This invention relates to an apparatus for operating on a container,which container is made of sheet material which may be heavy paper orlight cardboard. Said apparatus acts principally on the lower endportion of said container for closing and sealing the same.

It is an object of this invention to provide a novel apparatus foracting on the end portion of a container made of flexible material, suchas heavy paper or light cardboard, said apparatus acting to close theend of said container and seal the same.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus foroperating on a container made of sheet material such as heavy paper orlight cardboard, and comprising a shell with a continuous periphery, acup-shaped member having a peripheral flange disposed in and adjacentone end of said container, said apparatus comprising a mandrel adaptedto fit in said shell, and a die for bending the end portion of saidshell inwardly and downwardly over and around said flange.

It is also an object of this invention to provide such an apparatus asset forth in the preceding paragraph, said die having an upwardly andinwardly inclined surface for initially bending said portion of saidshell inwardly and also having a plurality or multiplicity of pinsmovable downwardly for bending said end portion of said shell over andaround said flange.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an apparatus foroperating on a container of sheet material, which container hasoverlapping portions coated with a suitable lacquer or other suitablesubstance which will form an adhesive when heated, which apparatusincludes a novel electrode for applying pressure and heat to saidoverlapping portions.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fullyset forth in the following description made in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer tosimilar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of the finished container;

Fig. 2 is a vertical diametrical section of the bottom portion of saidcontainer;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through a portion of the machineinvolving this invention;

Fig. 4 is a view partly in front elevation and partly in centralvertical section of a mandrel used;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 as indicatedby the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of a mechanism used;

Fig. 7 is a view in front elevation of an electrode used;

Fig. 8 is a horizontal section on line 88 of Fig. 7, as indicated by thearrows;

Fig. 9 is a vertical diametrical section through a die used for closingthe bottom of said container;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9 showing the parts in diiferentpositions; and

Fig. 11 is a horizontal section taken on line 11-11 of Fig. 10, asindicated by the arrows.

portion of a folding ice Referring to the drawings, a container 20 isshown in Fig. l which comprises a body portion 20a, and in theembodiment of the invention illustrated this body portion is shown ascylindrical. Said body portion is made from strong flexible paper-likematerial, such as heavy paper or light cardboard, the same preferablyhaving a smooth surface. Said body portion or shell 20a is made from arectangular sheet which is rolled into cylindrical form with overlappingedge portions 20b. Both sides of the said sheet are coated with a thinplastic or lacquer, and while various lacquers or materials might beused, a lacquer formed of pigmented vinol has been found verysatisfactory in practice. The overlapping edge portions of the body orshell 20a are pressed between heated dies and very tightly connected andsealed by the said lacquer which acts as an adhesive. Said lacquer formsa waterproof coating so that the shell 20a is thus water proofed both on.its interior and its exterior.

The rectangular sheet referred to is rolled about a mandrel 19, shown inFigs. 5 and 6. Mandrel 19 is shown as having a strip 19a insertedtherein which will be made of some metal forming a good conductor ofheat, such as bronze or copper. A member 21 underlies strip 19a and ispreferably made of a sheet of insulating material. The said sheet isrolled about mandrel 19 by a series of articulated or connected members23. The forming of the container about the mandrel is disclosed andclaimed in applicants co-pending application, S. N. 191,967, filedOctober 25, 1950, for Method and Apparatus for Producing Container, nowU. S. Patent No. 2,725,001. A.

plurality of said mandrels 19 are carried in spaced relation on a table134 which is intermittently rotated to diflerent positions, as disclosedin said co-pending application. Member 23 has-at one end an electrode 25which in the operation of the machine is brought opposite electrode 19a.Electrode 25 ha extending longitudinally therethrough a heating element25a which will be supplied with current from suitable conductors securedto a binding post 25b. The overlapped portions of the sheet overlie theelectrode 19a and the electrode 25 is then brought against the otherside of the overlapped portions. The heat applied causes the lacquer onthe sheet to act as an adhesive and the overlapped portions are verytightly connected. It has been found in practice that much betterresults are secured with the electrode 25 by having the face thereofengaging the overlapped portions of the shell provided with amultiplicity of small depressions 250. Any tendency of the electrode tostick to the shell is overcome. In practice the face of the electrode isabout A; of an inch in width and the diameter of the depressions 250 isapproximately of an inch. Electrode 25 is pressed against saidoverlapped portions with considerable pressure.

A bottom closure is provided for said container and this includes aninverted cup-shaped member 200 having a flat central portion and aperipheral flange 2001 extending downwardly substantially at rightangles thereto. Member 20c and its flange fit snugly in the shell 20aand are disposed therein adjacent the bottom edge of said shell. Saidshell and portion 200 are disposed upon a mandrel 19 shown in Figs. 9and 10, which mandrel has a flat top surface engaged by-the bottom ofmember 200 or the side thereof which is upward in the finishedcontainer. Mandrel 19 has a diameter which fits snugly in the body orshell 200:.

A die is used to bend the bottom portion of the shell 20a inwardly overflange 2001 and this comprises a member 22 having a cylindricalperiphery and having a flange portion 22a at its bottom having an innercylindrical surface. Member 22 has a surface 22b extending upwardly andinwardly at an angle of substantially 45 degrees -from-thecylindricalsurface of flange22a. A central cup-like member 26 is secured to thehorizontal top surface of member .22, to which thesurface 22b extends bya plurality. of circumferentially spaced bolts -24' hav ing countersunkheads. Member22 is secured to.a top member '27'by a central hea'de'dbolt28 threaded into member 27. Member 27'has a central upstanding portionwhich is connected by a .pin"30 to a. tubular member 31-which carriesthe member'27. 'Pini30 extends transvers'elyand horizontally throughmember 31 and the central portion of. member 27. .MemberZ'T hasa'flange27a in which are threaded a plurality of circumferentially spacedpins33. Pins 33 are equipped with nuts 34 at their upper endsengaging'washers 35, which in turn engage'the'top ot'flange'27a. Pins'33extend downwardly into cylindrical'holes orpassageszinmember 22andhavetheir lower ends at their inner portionsextending inwardly and.upwardly at an angle of approximately 30 dcgreesto thehorizontal, theouter-lower portions of said pins being rounded. Compressionlcoiledsprings 36 surround the pins 33 respectively and engage the bottom offlange 27a at their upper ends and the bottomof cylindrical openings inthe top of member-22 at'theiri lower ends.

"The. shell 20a withthe member'20c therein and wall of said shellextending some 'distance'beyond "flange .20cl is positioned on themandrel, .as .shown'in Fig. '9, and the members '27 and 22 are then,moved downwardly. The -projecting portion '20alofthe shell'ifirstengaged by the inclined surface 22b and is" bent inwardly, asshownin "Fig. "9. Member '26 engages thecentral portion of member 20c andupon further downward movement of member 27 against'the compression of.springs 36 the pins 33 are projected from member '22 and engage thebent over portionlflal and bend the same downwardly alongthe inside ofthe fiangeZflCl, .as shown in Fig. 10. Said'bent over portion 20al ismoved into tight engagement with the top of the flange 2001, as shown inFigs. 2 and 10.

it hasbeen found that'by using the circumferentially spaced-pins abetter operationis secured in bending over the'en'd portion of thecontainer and'tbere is no .drawing or crimping effect ontheprojectingportion of the container. Where .an annular die'is used forsuch albending'operation' there is a crimping'eifect on thebent overportion and it is necessary'to have agreater length in theportion of thecontainer which extendsbeyondpflange 20d. By the method and apparatusjust-described a verysmooth and-.uncrimped bent over-portion is secured.The sealing of.the shell and portionl20c is completed on the dies-shownin Figs. 18m 20 of said ctr-pending application.

The mandrel I9 is provided withpassages 1% through which air underpressure is blown to remove the container from the mandrel.

In Fig. 3 of the drawingsa view is shown somewhat similarto Fig.2 insaid .co-pending application. The cross-head '65 is shown partly insection and partly brokenaway, which cross-head reciprocates verticallyon the guides 125 and carries the upper die member. .The-presentinvention'is used on themachine shownin said copending-applicationand the die membercomprising member.22 thenreplaces the memberil tl, asshown in Fig. 2. of said co-pending application. A crimping head 38 isshown in'horizontal section in Fig. 3. This "operates 4 on the containerafter the die 22. "Said head forms no part of the present invention, thesame being disclosed and claimed in said co-pending application.

From the above description it will be seen that I have provided a noveland very efficient apparatus for operating on a container of sheetmaterial such as disclosed. The apparatus operates very quicklytto-move.the .parts of the container for closing and sealing the same. Thecontainerisitightly closed and sealed,:and:-as stated,-the machine orapparatus operateswith great rapidity. The apparatus has been amplydemonstrated in actual practice and found to be very successfulra-ndefiicientandcommercial production is under way.

It will of course =be-understoodthat various changes may be made in theform, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, withoutdeparting from the scope of applicants invention, which generallystated,.consists in a device capablev of carrying out the objectsaboveset forth, in the parts and combinations of.parts disclosedanddefined in the appended claims.

What is claimedis:

1. An apparatus for operating on a container of sheet material having ashell with acontinuous periphery and a cup-shaped member disposedin-saidshell-zadjacent one end thereof andforming a bottom for one endof said shell, said shell having an endextendingvertically above saidmember, having in combinatioma. mandrel disposed in and fitting in saidshell and-having a fiat topsurface engaging the inside of said bottom,-adie axially-aimed with said mandrel having a circumferential flange.with an inner upwardly and inwardly. inclinedrsurface, a -member abovesaid die axially alined therewithand connected thereto for moving saiddie upwardly and downwardly, :a pluralityof comparatively smallvertically disposed and circumferentially spaced separate pins .having,rounded lower ends, said pins being secured to-saidmenrber and movabletherewith, said pinsextending through and being slidablein said die,andresilient meansbetween said ;die and member whereby when saiddiemovesitowardsaid mandrel said upstanding vwall ofsaidcontainerrwillbe bent inwardly by said surface of said.diefandithenwill be engaged by said pins and movedrtoyertical positionby said pins, said die beingzmovedsaway, from said member by saidresilient means.

2. The structure set forth in claim -1, andsarmember carried by .saiddie engaging the'outer-side ofrsaidbottom and holding the sameagainstsaid mandrel;

References Cited in the file of thispatent UNITED STATES :.-PA.TENTS'1,526,554 Lake Feb. 17,1925 1,833,377 Smith Nov. 24, 1931 1,843,536Barbieri Feb.j 2, 1932 1,855,216 Bennett "Apr. '26, 1932 1,858,706May:17,'1932 2,125,414 Baker Aug. 2, 1938 2,125,416 Baker Aug. 2, 19382,126,908 Moore Aug. '16, 1938 2,181,816 Mandell Nov. '28, 1939'2,358,455 Hallman Sept. 19, 1944 2,435,560 Richens Feb; 3, 19482,466,341 Vergobbi Apr. 5', 1949 2,685,829 Taber Aug; 10, 195-4

